How To Beat Jet Lag Essay, Research Paper

In the beginning of this busy ESL term, I had to go to Germany for my father’s business. Unfortunately, although I had had bad jet lag for almost one week, I had to take exams with my drowsy brain. Most air travelers have jet lag when they take long exhausting flights. Jet lag causes difficulties in concentrating and thinking; however, you can avoid or minimize your jet lag symptoms easily by understanding the body systems, by controlling the light that comes into your eyes, and; believe it or not, by having chocolate.When you travel for a long time by jet plane, such as across the oceans and several time zones, the time differences occur between places you are from and other places you are heading to, and finally you will have jet lag. Kowet says that jet lag, or circadian dysrhythmia, happens as soon as you have set your watch to the local time, but your internal biological clocks have not adjusted yet at that moment (17). In the words of Mayes, “Your inner body clocks have a lingering memory of the rhythms you left behind at home and want to cling to familiar routines” (17). These suggest that your biological clock is the internal timekeeper to separate night time and daytime; therefore, if it is delayed, the body resists the new time zone and wants to keep the same rhythm as the original time. Moreover, Kowet says west-to-east travel is much harder for your body than east-to-west travel because in the east-to-west travel, the sun looks as if it has risen earlier than in the west-to-east journey so your brain needs to start a new day six or seven hours or more earlier than your original time, but your body still wants to stay at home time (13). But, if your brain has this biological clock delay, what kind of symptoms will you have with your body?When you have jet lag, you usually feel very sleepy at strange times or have a tendency to wake up too early in the morning. These are very common symptoms. According to Oren et al., jet lag can also result in hindrances in thinking and concentrating (2) Ninety per cent of air travelers claim that they have the nuisance of daytime exhaustion and sleepiness; in addition, these troubles cause the sting of eyes and dull eyes (Mayes 17). These symptoms continue from two to seven days after traveling, and in the worst cases, can trail on for two week or even a month (Mayes 17). Night time wakeness and daytime sleepiness are severe because they contribute to other trouble such as falling asleep at exams. Furthermore, Mayes claims in his book that serious jet lag leads to temporary amnesia: you can’t think and memorize anything properly (18). These symptoms are very hard to recover from unless you have enough time and an iron will.However, you can minimize these symptoms or avoid suffering from jet lag by some effective strategies before your flight and on the aircraft. Everybody knows that to shift the biological clock to the destination time takes time and it’s difficult to adjust. Murdoch points out that by controlling the light that enters to your eyes, you can make your brain and body believe night time or daytime and try to set your biological clock to the destination time. If your flight happens during daytime at your destination, to activate your brain and body, you should bask in the sun or use artificial lights like reading lights; in contrast, if your destination time would be the night, to deceive your body and brain that it’s night time, you should keep relaxing and sleep in the aircraft, and to prevent any light from coming into your eyes, you can use eye-masks or close the cabin windows as well (Mayes 44). Some of you might think it’s hard to keep awake for a long time during the boring flight but you can also prevent jet lag before the flight.The other way that you can avoid your jet lag is to take some caffeinated drinks, including coffee or tea, or eat chocolate (Mayes 61). In a recent study, taking caffeine at an appropriate time results in avoiding the daytime sleepiness and night time insomnia (Mayes 61). These coffee, tea and chocolate contain caffeine and are very common; in addition, they are easy to get! As Mayes suggests, “The jet-setter can literally ‘turn back the dock’, using two cups of strong coffee in the morning when flying west, to adjust body clocks to an earlier hour. Two cups of strong coffee in the evening when traveling east can turn inner clocks to a later hour” (61). But he adds that if you are a heavy coffee or tea drinker, because you might “have developed a tolerance” for caffeine, it is recommended that you should stop drinking them for two to three days before, and then drink on your flight day (61). Furthermore, the time to take the caffeine depends on the direction you travel and the arrival time (Mayes 61). Nevertheless, Kowet warns that drinking too much coffee and tea during the flight leads you to go to the bath room many times: both coffee and tea are mild diuretics so they accelerate liquid through your kidneys, and finally you have to go and come back between your seat and the bath room many times (91). Coffee, tea and chocolate contain lots of caffeine, and caffeine itself is known as the natural chemical which activates the brain. Thus, you can keep awake firmly for a long time.

Jet lag is one of the modern sicknesses that this speedy developing world has made. Hence, the more air traffic increases, the more people will be annoyed with it. Jet lag causes many symptoms: not only daytime drowsiness and night time insomnia, but also hindrances in thinking and concentrating. However, you can avoid it by controlling the light, having coffee or tea, or just simply enjoying chocolate! Now you don’t have to worry about jet lag anymore!

Kowet, Don. The Jet Lag Book. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1983.Mayes, Kathleen. Beat Jet Lag: Arrive Alert and Stay Alert. London: Thorsons, 1991Murdoch, Guy. “Jet Lag: A Modern Misery.” Consumer’s Research Magazine. August 1995: 2.Oren, Dan A., et al. How to Beat Jet Lag: A Practical Guide for Air Travelers. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1993. Research Paper Outline: How to Beat Jet Lag Introduction:Grabber: Unfortunately, although I had had bad jet lag for almost one week, I had to take exams with my drowsy brain.Thesis: Most air travelers have jet lag when they take long exhausting flights. The jet lag causes difficulties in concentrating and thinking; however, you can avoid or minimize your jet lag symptoms easily by understanding the body systems, controlling the light that comes into your eyes, and having the chocolate.

I. Description of jet laga. jet lag is a delay of the internal biological clock – from Mayes b. It’s hard to reset to the new time for the brain and body – from Mayesc. westbound travel are easier for the body than eastbound travel because of sun rising time delay – from Kowet II. Main symptoms of jet laga. feel very sleepy in daytime and hard to wake up earlyb. causes difficulties of thinking and concentrating – from Oren et al.c. ninety per cent of air traveler claim daytime exhaustion and feeling sleepiness and sometimes results in temporary amnesia – from MayesIII. Strategy 1 -controlling the lights-a. light is closely related to the brain activation – from Murdoch b. trick your body into believe day/night time. – from MayesIV. Strategy 2 -take caffeine-a. caffeine drinks: coffee, tea and chocolate are easy to get and commonb. caffeine wakes the brain up – from Mayesc. but a heavy coffee or tea drinker might be strong for caffeine, it is recommended that stop drinking them before two to three days and then drink on the flight day – from Mayesd. too much drinking coffee and tea leads you to go to a bath room many timese. both coffee and tea are mild diuretics and they accelerate liquid through your kidneysConclusion:Review: Jet lag causes many symptoms: not only daytime drowsiness and night time insomia, but also hindrances in thinking and concentrating. However, you can avoid it by controlling the light and just simply having chocolate!Clincher/Overall Evaluation of evidence:Jet lag is one of the modern sickness that this speedy developing world has made.